For the purpose of observing biological test material, such as cell cultures for example, microscope systems can be combined with incubation systems, the incubation system serving to monitor one or more parameters of an environment of the test material, and consequently to monitor the conditions for the test material. Examples of test-environment parameters of such a type to be monitored include an oxygen content, a carbon-dioxide content, an air humidity and a temperature of the atmosphere surrounding the specimen. One advantage of such a monitoring of test-environment parameters consists in the fact that conditions are established that are suitable for a relatively long survival of the biological test material, in turn enabling a relatively long observation of the specimen, and/or in the fact that experiments can be carried out with which the reaction of the biological test material to particular environmental influences can be investigated selectively.
For the purpose of influencing or controlling environmental parameters of a specimen pertaining to a microscope system, control instruments are known with which an individual test-environment parameter, or typically several test-environment parameters, is/are monitored or controlled. However, such control instruments are conventionally configured so that they can be operated manually, for which purpose keypads, rotary knobs or similar devices are provided, via which a user sets the test-environment parameter. One disadvantage associated with such conventional control instruments lie in the fact that a human user has to become active to change a test-environment parameter and also, possibly, to log the current value of the test-environment parameter, which may be important for a later evaluation of the data material acquired with the microscope system. An extensive automation of experimental sequences is not guaranteed with such conventional control instruments.
A further disadvantage of conventional control instruments for influencing test-environment parameters consists in the fact that they are frequently configured in order to control several test-environment parameters simultaneously—i.e. they have several control variables. This combination of several control functions in a single control instrument frequently has the effect that the control instrument can only be used for incubation systems with a particular incubator size, so that for differing incubation systems a user has to use different control instruments.
There is a need in the art to provide improved appliances and methods for influencing test-environment parameters in an incubation system. In particular, there is a need for appliances and methods for an incubation system that can be used as a constituent of a microscope arrangement, said appliances and methods enabling an extensive automation of experimental sequences. Furthermore, there is a need for appliances and methods that can be used for incubation systems with incubators of various sizes.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims. Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiment in a control system for influencing test-environment parameters, a method for controlling a microscope system and computer control program for same, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specification embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.